After The Impromptu Trip
by Lushcoltrane
Summary: Jade joins in the Vegas Christmas tradition. Note: Takes place a couple of weeks following my story, "After 'Rizolli and Isles'".


After The Impromptu Trip

Sitting in the back of a taxi on the way home from LAX, Tori and Jade spent most of the ride making out. And making up for lost time. A last minute decision, permission from her teachers to miss classes and a couple of support payments from her parents let Jade fly up to a resort on Lake Tahoe for a week-log writing seminar. Due to bad weather, her return flight was delayed two days until today, Christmas Eve.

The two finally came up for air as the cab pulled up before a familiar late-model Hollywood house. One decorated for the holidays.

"Wow, Tori. You guys really do go all out, don't you?" Jade said as she looked at the Christmas Wonderland the Vega house had become. It was a far cry from the simple wreath that adorned the front door when she left.

"Wait 'til you see it at night," Tori gushed. "Come on. You gotta see the inside too!"

They got out of the taxi and Jade paid the driver before getting her bags from the trunk. "You didn't have to come to the airport to meet me, Vega. I coulda caught a cab on my own. I can do that, you know."

Ignoring the sarcasm, Tori kissed Jade lightly, "I wanted to. I missed you when you were at that seminar."

Jade smiled her little smile but felt like dancing up the walk into Santa's Hollywood home.

While the exterior had large candy canes, a sleigh with nine reindeer, an inflated Santa in a giant snow globe, and strings of lights following the lines of the house as well as sheet lights covering the shrubs with icicle lights hanging from the eaves, the interior was even more elaborate.

'Gaudy,' was Jade's first impression. 'So much all over the living room and into the kitchen and dining area.'

The main feature was a large, decorated tree near the large, back windows – fortunately not as ginormous as Trina's tree from last year. It was adorned with colorful ornaments, lights and tinsel. Around the base, weaving between the brightly wrapped packages already in place, was a small electric train complete with Santa riding one of the HO scale cars.

Tinsel was draped over picture frames, the top of the wall-mounted TV, around the book cases and the light over the kitchen table. Twinkling lights accompanied the tinsel as well as under-lighting the cotton layer on the mantle, draped with five stockings simulating snow for the little ceramic Christmas village arrayed there.

Draped from the mantle were five stockings, each with the name of one of the Vegas. The fifth, the one next to Tori's, had Jade's name on it.

Tori laughed at Jade's expression, her eyes wide and her mouth agape.

"What?" she snarled, tearing her eyes away from her stocking.

"You look like a little kid waiting to meet Santa Claus," Tori said.

"It's just… It's so… Does it sync with Mannheim Steamroller?" she asked snidely.

"No. Well, not the inside decorations…" Tori replied defensively.

Jade, who was used to little more than an old silvery, aluminum Christmas tree with a color projector on the floor changing the now-dull metal limbs to blue, green, yellow and red (dear ol' Dad didn't feel the need to replace the fake tree he grew up with), was slowly coming to terms with the Vega decorations. Still, she had to get her digs in.

"Oh, look! Another large Santa Claus," Jade said, looking at a tall, slightly rumpled Santa near the fireplace. Tori shuddered. "What's wrong, Tor? Is this a killer Claus?"

"Not exactly but he did…molest me last year." Ignoring the puzzled look on Jade's face, she asked, "So what do you think?"

"Looks…gaudy." Inside, she was already coming to admire the seasonal décor. As she realized she did kinda like it, she looked around again. She did love it. Everything was the opposite of her and her lifestyle and some part of her was slowly embracing this opposition – a little more every day she spent with Tori Vega.

Tori looked at her girlfriend in horror. "It is not gaudy! It's…festive!"

"Yeah, if you live in the Griswold house."

"Hey, I'll have you know we… My parents put a lot of effort into this. And all our friends love it. So there!" Tori stuck her tongue out at Jade who immediately had lascivious thoughts filling her head. Her face must've given it away and Tori looked disappointed

Jade smiled at what she was now calling the Tori-pout. She pulled a stiff brunette into her arms and whispered, "I'm just teasing you."

"Really?" Tori asked in a small voice, peeking up at Jade's smiling face.

"Yes. Really. It reminds me of you."

"Aaahhh…" Tori swept Jade into a Tori-hug which Jade slowly returned.

Disengaging herself from Tori the Octopus, Jade asked, "So you do this every year?"

"Yep. Except last year…"

Jade gazed blankly at Tori, finally saying, "And…?"

"Oh, that's right. You and Beck didn't come over."

"Yeah, he needed to get caught up on his sleep and I wasn't about to come over here alone…" Jade smiled slyly, "Well, then anyway. So, about last year?"

"Yeah, so anyway, Mom and Dad were out of town so Trina…"

"Oh… The redwood?"

Tori laughed, "Yeah, beyond that mammoth tree, Trina did the whole place up in greens and yellows and earthy stuff. Y'know all these jars with the ornaments? Last year, they were all one color or another. And it was all green or yellow or silver. It was like Santa Claus and Saint Patrick got together, drank too much egg nog then…" Tori stopped and shuddered.

"I really missed all this," Tori spun around with her arms out, indicating the Griswold-y house. Jade couldn't help but think of that classic Christmas comedy as she absorbed more and more of the holiday touches the Vegas had put out.

"Well, it's still pretty overdone to me, but I'm coming around. Especially since you controlled Trina's tree fetish."

The Douglas fir near the back windows was much more reasonable in size. And un-flocked. Jade chuckled when she remembered Robbie covered in the fake snow after Trina blasted him with the flocking gun.

"So we won't need a flock rag?"

Jade just scowled then said, "Do you know how long it took to clean all that…crap up?"

"Toreee," Jade sing-songed in a faux southern accent, "You just said cra-ap."

"I don't talk like that!" Tori declared. "Anyway, you're a bad influence."

"Well, I am a known Christmas grunch."

At that moment, Holly Vega came in from the garage with a couple of bags of groceries. "Hey Tori. Can you give me a hand with the rest of the groceries?" She glanced up to see Jade leaning against one of the couches. "Jade! You're back! How was the seminar?"

"At least someone cares," Jade remarked, staring at Tori. "It was okay. Mostly we sat around talking about how to turn inspiration into a story. Real basic writing. But, the last day, we had a guest breakfast speaker – Stephen King!"

"Stephen King?!" Tori and Holly shouted in unison.

"Yep. He and his family were holidaying at another resort and came as a favor to one of the instructors. And I had him sign a copy of "'salem's Lot" – the best vampire story ever!"

"How'd you just happen to have that?"

"One of the program directors told a couple of us that he might be there so I got a ride to Carson City and got a hard back copy just in case."

"That book scared the chiz outta me," Tori declared. She explained to her mom, "Sikowitz had us read a horror novel before Halloween. Jade suggested that book and…"

"I remember reading that when I was a kid," Holly replied. "Creepy stuff. And I read it in October, when the novel takes place, and we had a small flu epidemic so a lot of kids were out of school. That was too much like the book for me to read it after the sun went down…"

Jade laughed, "Yeah, this is one of his best novels. Hell, it's one of the best horror novels ever!"

"Show me," Tori asked.

"First things first. Tori? Groceries? Jade, can you give her a hand?"

"Sure, Mrs. V," Jade agreed, clapping and nodding towards Tori.

"Smartie-pants," Tori replied.

A few minutes later, the counters and the table were covered with grocery bags. "You feeding an army?"

"No Jade, this is normal for Christmas," Tori replied. "Most of this is for Christmas Eve then, Christmas dinner and then the rest of the week. Although leftovers are our lunches while we're home."

"Must be some shindig," Jade said.

"Yeah, even a Christmas grunch like you should have fun," Tori teased.

The first guests to the Vega Christmas Eve Open House were due to arrive and Tori looked around. 'Where's Jade?' she thought.

In truth, Tori was nervous. There were several reasons. First and foremost, she was still afraid of pushing Jade too fast into sharing her life. The raven-haired girl had come a long way in just a couple of months but this whole family and friends holiday may be too much of a change from Jade's pitiful Christmases with her family.

In addition, she was worried about how some of her extended family would take to her new lifestyle and the girl who turned her around. She tried to put up a good front but she was afraid some of the more 'Catholic' relatives would, at best, frown on the new, lesbian couple in the family.

And she was worried that she'd make a scene if one of her more staid aunts or uncles said something in that regard. Jade had rubbed off on her and Tori wasn't going to take any flack from them or allow them to make Jade feel anything less than a welcome addition to the family.

Glancing up at the stairs again, Tori's biggest fear vanished as she watched her love casually stroll down the short flight of steps into the living room. She was a subdued vision of Christmas and took Tori's breath away.

Jade wore the long-sleeved, scoop-necked pine green sweater that Tori had patted down last year for scissors. ("Don't be shy," Jade had teased her then. Now Tori wanted to frisk her again but not for pointy things. At least not for metallic pointy things…) Jade also had a short, maroon skirt with dark green stockings and black ankle boots.

When Tori didn't say anything, Jade herself got nervous. She just couldn't wear brightly colored clothes like Tori, Trina or Holly – not unless she was performing. But she tried to make an attempt. With Tori just staring, she was afraid she made a mistake.

"You're…you're beautiful, Jade," Tori said in a low voice.

Jade looked at her girlfriend and nodded, "So are you."

Tori wore a similar color scheme but her green blouse and red slacks were brighter and she had a small red ribbon in her hair, holding back some of the brown locks on her left side.

They stood together in front of the tree as Tori's father took a couple of pictures of them. Tori wanted to commemorate their first Christmas together. "We can show our kids how hot their moms were…"

Jade didn't say anything but the thought of having a family with Tori was thrilling. And naturally, a little nerve-wracking.

Soon after the house was swarmed by friends and family. There so many people that Jade soon gave up trying to remember names and faces. She was even having a hard time keeping track of who was from Tori's father's family and her mother's family – even though the Vegas were Hispanic and the other side (Jade still didn't know Holly's maiden name) were Celtic in origin.

Everyone seemed to know that Jade and Tori were a couple and, to each girl's relief, no one seemed to mind in the slightest. Jade was especially relieved after the still-painful confrontation with her father a month or so ago.

There was one fly in the ointment. One of Tori and Trina's cousins kept eyeing both girls and finally came up. "So, you're hot together. And that'd be something to see."

"Jimmy, go away," Tori ordered.

"Ah, come on. Kiss her. Just one kiss? The mistletoe is over there," Jimmy replied. He was about their age but was too obnoxious for his own good, as Jade was quickly learning.

"Jimmy, go away!"

"Aw, c'mon. For your favorite cousin?"

"You are not my favorite cousin. You're not even in the top one hundred," Tori declared. Given the size of the family scattered around the house and out on the patio, Jade could believe that figure.

"Listen, Jimmy," Jade said, catching his attention.

"Yeah, Beautiful?"

"Oh please…" Tori moaned.

Jade just smiled. "You seen 'The Scissoring'?"

"Yeah, great movie!"

"You know the scissors for that movie?" Jimmy nodded. "I have them. And I'd love to show them to you." The last was overstressed and Jimmy blanched slightly.

Then he recovered and said, "You don't have those!"

Tori saw a flash of hyper red and white come in the door. "Yeah, she does. That girl gave them to her for Christmas last year in our Secret Santa."

"Secret Santa? Yay!" Cat yelled as she ran up, holding a tray that was covered with a large napkin. "Who's my Secret Santa?"

"No Cat. No Secret Santa. Just talking about last year."

"Oh yeah! I gave you the scissors! From that movie. Remember?" Cat poked Jade playfully and Jade scowled at her.

In an even, almost flat, tone, she asked, "And aren't they very, very sharp?"

"Yeah! Ha-ha! I bet they can cut anything!"

Jimmy looked over and said, "Hey, there's Uncle, um, aah…" His voice faded as he disappeared into the crowd.

"So who's my Secret Santa?"

"No!" Jade declared, making Cat cringe. Feeling bad about that, she asked, "Cat, what's that?"

"It's my brother's Christmas beef! Want some?"

Tori took the tray from the faux redhead and said, "Let's just put this over with the other food and let people help themselves. Alright?"

"Alrighty!" Cat agreed happily. Tori turned and placed the tray on the counter behind her, mouthing to her mother to hide it.

Andre with his latest significant other came out of the small crowd at that point, followed by Beck, Robbie, with Rex on hand. Everyone exchanged the usual Christmas greetings.

Just to be different, Beck wished Jade, "Happy Festivus!"

"That's over, Beck," Jade replied. "Anyway, Vega here wouldn't let me bring in the pole."

"It's a part of the new pipes for the pool Dad's putting in," Tori said.

"And the Feats of Strength?"

"Jade, you know you can take anyone in here," Tori replied.

"What about the Airing of the Grievances?"

Tori rolled her eyes, "Since when do you need a holiday for that?"

"O-okay," Andre interjected. "This is Kenisha. Say hi, baby."

"Hi," the pretty girl said.

"Where do you meet these women?" Beck asked.

Tori looked at Jade, gauging the Goth's reaction. Jade, for her part, seemed to just watch the two friends talk. Finally, she turned to Tori who was eying her nervously. "What?"

"Tori!" Cat called. "Did you show Jade her ornament?"

"Ca-at! I wanted that to be a surprise for later…"

"Oh," Cat said, suddenly down. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay Cat," Jade said, patting her old friend on the shoulder. Then, with an arched eyebrow, she asked, "So, my ornament?"

Tori led them over to the tree. "I was going to show this to you later…when less was going on but… There, next to Mom's antique Santa. See?"

Jade looked at the colorful old glass ornament of Kris Kringle then to saw, next to it, a small pair of silver scissors.

She stared at the silver ornament, her mouth hanging open slightly. Her hand tentatively reached out to touch it. The scissors started to swing slightly, the light reflecting off the silvery surface and flashing across Jade's face.

"Wow," Beck said. "I've never seen anyone shut her up like that before."

"Watch it, Beck! I still have my real scissors…" Jade said in a tight voice. Her follow-up smirk belied the remark though.

"Girls," Rex interjected. "Let's have some Christmas cheer! Look, I spy mistletoe…"

"Rex, they aren't going to kiss you," Robbie said.

"How 'bout each other?" Rex leaned towards Tori, "How 'bout it, sweethcheeks?"

"How 'bout I carve a T.V. & J.W. tattoo in your little wooden butt cheek?" Jade replied.

"No need to get hostile! C'mon, Rob, there's some Northridge girls around here somewhere." Robbie threw them an apologetic look as he took Rex away.

"Do you ever worry about Robbie and Rex?" Tori asked.

"All the time," Beck said.

"You have no idea," Andre said.

"I think it's cute," Cat said.

By this point, the group has moved back over towards the counter with most of the refreshments.

"Help yourselves," Tori offered.

"I brought Christmas Beef!" Cat announced happily.

With non-committal grunts and nods, everyone selected something else. Andre rubbed his stomach and grimaced, remembering the meat Cat's brother had prepared in the past.

"So, Tori, where're the WallyWorld glasses for the egg nog?" Andre asked.

"I know, right?" Jade responded.

"Hey! This is not a Griswold Christmas!" Tori declared.

"So does, the nog have more than just egg in it?" Andre chuckled.

Tori looked at him with a disdainful expression, "Really? Do you not remember my father is a cop? How is spiked egg nog gonna happen?"

"No problem, lil' Tori." Andre laughed.

"Is Sikowitz coming?" Beck asked.

"I invited him. He said he might make it after his Christmas yodeling," Tori replied.

"Yeah, heh-heh, he really is into that," Andre noted.

Cat giggled and Jade just said, "Whatever."

After several minutes of chit-chat, Tori excused herself to say hello to some of her parents' friends.

"Not a bad party," Kenisha commented.

"Yeah, I suppose," Jade responded. She was trying to maintain her more public façade with her friends. If someone asked why, she wasn't sure she could say other than it just seemed natural.

"Hey!" Cat spoke up.

"Hey, Lil' Cat," Andre replied.

"Let's name our favorite Christmas movies!" She shouted over to Robbie, "Robbie, c'mere! We're gonna play a game."

When the original Hollywood Arts group was together, Cat started, "Everyone say what their favorite Christmas movie is…"

"White Christmas", It's A Wonderful Life.", "Miracle on 34th Street", "Christmas Vacation", "A Christmas Story" and "Black Christmas."

Everyone turned to Jade who just shrugged, "What?"

"Okay, favorite Christmas comedy," Beck suggested.

The group was split in half over "Christmas Vacation" and "A Christmas Story" with the sole holdout: "Tales From The Crypt."

Again, everyone looked at her. "The old British movie? The first story was the deranged Santa? Now who doesn't find that funny?"

"Best tear-jerker," Andre offered.

"Miracle on 34th Street", "It's a Wonderful Life", "Silent Night, Deadly Night."

"Okay Jade…" Beck said.

"What? I love those movies. And who doesn't cry when the psycho dies at the end?"

Andre changed the subject. "Okay, most macho Christmas movie. I say 'Die Hard'. And the first sequel. The one at Dulles on Christmas Eve?"

"'The Three Godfathers'," Beck offered.

When he was met by blank looks, he added, "John Wayne? It's a classic John Ford western. He and two other outlaws save a baby in the desert during Christmas."

"'RED' – that Bruce Willis movie," Robbie added.

"Props to the Rob-man for knowing a good movie," Andre said.

"I coached him," Rex said.

"'In Bruges'," Kenisha stated. "The Brit movie about the two assassins cooling their heels in Bruges, Belgium during Christmas?"

"Oh yeah, that was good!" Andre said.

"'I Am Legend'," Jade said.

"Huh?"

"Well, the pandemic was during the Christmas season. After that, Will Smith kept finding old Christmas stuff as he was stalking the mutants."

"So nothing of Tori has rubbed off on you, Jade?" Beck asked.

"Nah, it's the other way 'round. After all, I had her watch all of 'The Walking Dead'."

"With her eyes open?" Jade nodded. "Tori? Tori Vega watched 'The Walking Dead'?" Jade nodded again. "Pretty girl with long brown hair? Loves to sing? Came to Hollywood Arts a couple of years ago? Irritating older sister? That Tori Vega?"

Stressing the first word of her response, Jade nodded, "Yes… That Tori Vega."

Tori picked that moment to return to the group. "He-ey, what'd I miss?"

"Favorite Christmas movies," Andre said.

"Oh, that's easy. I love 'It's a Wonderful Life' and 'Miracle on 34th Street' – the original with Edmund Gwenn," Tori replied happily. "When they get to the end and Natalie Wood sees the house and they find Kris' cane, I always get choked up. Right Jade?"

"Huh? What? I'm sorry, I tuned you out at 'It's…'"

Tori elbowed Jade enough to make her turn towards the group. "C'mon now. You can tell the guys."

"I have nothing to say," Jade declared.

"What happened when we watched Miracle? You got all misty-eyed too."

"I DID NOT! It was my allergies," Jade declared.

"Jade, you don't have allergies," Beck stated.

"Allergies wouldn't dare," Andre muttered. Jade shot him a look and he dropped his eyes to the cup in his hand. "Dang, this is some tasty egg nog."

Holly Vega came up then to a chorus of "Hey, Mrs. Vega", "Nice party", "Merry Christmas" and the like.

"I'm so glad you could come. And Merry Christmas to all of you."

"Um, I'm not…"

"Happy Hannukhah, Robbie." Robbie beamed at that.

"Tori, that song you sang last year at school?"

"Andre's song?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Jeannette, your aunt, wanted to hear it. Do you have a recording of it?"

"Andre?" Tori turned to her friend.

"Nah, sorry. I have one at home but not on me."

"Why don't we do it again?" Cat suggested.

"Cat, we haven't done it in over a year. We don't have the costumes and I don't know if we all even have the lyrics anymore. Andre's written several songs since then too. He might not even remember the music," Tori countered.

Cat body-nudged Tori and looked up at her blinking her eyes rapidly. "Please?"

"Uh…" Tori turned to her girlfriend. "Jade?"

"Sure, why not? I'm getting tired of Johnny Mathis anyway…"

"Andre?"

"I think I can knock it out," he replied.

"Okay then. Mom, we'll be ready shortly."

Holly smiled and headed back to the guests to arrange the needed performance space. And to shoo her drunken uncle off the piano where he was attempting, badly, to emulate Gershwin.

The four performers headed off towards the patio doors to confer. Shortly, Andre was testing the keyboard on the Vega's grand piano as the girls gather near the staircase.

"Tori, there aren't any stairs on my side," Cat said as Jade walked up the stairs and out of sight.

"Then just come out from behind the tree," Tori suggested.

"Ooo, like hide and seek! Kay-kay."

The players were in place and the friends and family in the Vega house were ready. Andre started playing the piano and, almost exactly on cue, Tori began to sing.

It's that time of year

Everyone's toasting, chestnuts are roasting

Christmas time is near

As the song progressed, Cat came out from behind the Christmas tree as Jade strutted seductively down the stairs. Her hips swiveled as she locked her eyes on Tori. Seeing Jade's hungry gaze, Tori faltered on the lyrics for a moment as she was overwhelmed by the sexy vision descending the stairs.

Something's missing and I'm wishing

Wishing that you knew

How much it would mean to spend

This Christmas time with you

As Jade and Cat came up beside Tori, they began to sing the song in harmony with a couple of one-line solos from Jade and Cat, before they sang the next two lines in unison.

So if you feel it coming (Jade's one-line solo)

On this special day (Cat's one-line solo)

Just trust your heart

Don't let your head get in the way

The moves were almost dead-on from the year before and the singers almost perfectly in sync with the each other and the music. The four performers were an incredible show for the relatively small audience.

Cause it's Christmas

And the start of something new

But it's Christmas

And I hope you will feel it too

Candy canes and mistletoe

Jack Frost nipping at your nose

Tori poked the tip of Jade's nose and she nipped back at it then blew Tori a kiss as Cat had on the candy canes lyric. Then Tori sang only to Jade.

But all of it means nothing

Without you

Without you

As they sang and performed the choreographed gestures, Tori and Jade were practically singing to each other rather than the crowd. When they pointed, they most often pointed to each other.

As the song went on, the watchers began to move with the music. Age had no bearing on who was dancing. The crowd was alive and loving the impromptu show. And loved being a part of it.

The closing, sung by all three girls and Andre, ended up with an unexpected special focus as Tori and Jade sang the closing lyrics strictly to each other.

But all of it means nothing

Without you

It's not Christmas

Without you

It's not Christmas

Without you

It's not Christmas

Without you

It's not Christmas

Without you...

When the song finally ended, as all good things do, Jade and Tori fell into each other's arms, Their foreheads pressed together as they regained their breath.

Tori glanced up and saw they had danced under some of the mistletoe her mother had hung around the room. Smiling broadly she softly kissed Jade. The kiss didn't last as Cat threw herself at her friends and they ended up in a three-way group hug.

Giggling, Cat announced, "That was fun! Ha-ha!" Then she saw the look in Jade's eyes at being interrupted and said, "I think I interrupted something."

"No, Cat. Just taking advantage of the mistletoe," Tori said.

"Yeah, I guess it's okay, Kitty-Cat," Jade reassured her old friend. "We have the rest of our lives…" She stopped and glanced at Tori, fear in her eyes. Did she overstep the boundaries of their relationship?

Tori's smile grew even wider, "Yep! The rest of our lives."

Cat clapped and jumped up and down, "Yay! You both found your one!"

Glancing over, they saw Kenisha sitting on Andre's lap, kissing the young musician with less restraint than Tori and Jade showed.

"You think Andre will ever find the one?" Tori asked.

Jade nodded, "Yeah he will. And the two. The three, the…"


End file.
